If a detail hidden in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's trailer is any indication, then some of Breath of the Wild's rarest materials may be making a comeback. Since collecting materials for use in cooking and improving equipment was a significant aspect of Breath of the Wild, it should be no surprise that the mechanic would come back in a sequel. What the latest trailer does bring to mind is whether some of the most eclectic materials from Breath of the Wild will come back in Tears of the Kingdom, which is certainly possible.
Unless the player made use of a Breath of the Wild glitch for infinite materials, collecting the game's rarest materials was more difficult than simply foraging in the world or plucking them from defeated enemies. Star fragments could only be found by seeking out fallen stars that hit the ground before they disappear at daybreak, and dragon parts could only be found by shooting an immortal dragon with an arrow once per day. Thankfully, their rarity was balanced by their incredible value and useful functions, selling for high prices and upgrading some of the game's best gear.
Tears of the Kingdom Could Bring Back BOTW's Star Fragments
Something can be seen falling from the sky before the title appears in a trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, and there are a few potential explanations for what this could be. Considering the destruction on display in several trailers, it could be another part of the catastrophe striking Hyrule. However, the sight is reminiscent of the falling stars from Breath of the Wild, so it could easily be Tears of the Kingdom's version of those same falling stars. If this is a sign that the falling stars are coming back, then it's almost a certainty that star fragments will return alongside them.
While star fragments returning could also herald the return of dragon parts as well, there is also the chance that Tears of the Kingdom's new upgrades could include more rare materials for players to collect. One possible idea would be to include some sort of corrupted shard of Ganon's power that could be used for crafting weapons. After all, with the dark energy of the calamity making a return, giving players the chance to wield that power for themselves would be an interesting twist. Granted, such a feature would likely require a great cost for its power, like weapons imbued with the energy breaking easily or draining Link's health.
In Tears of the Kingdom is adding new rare materials, then it needs to balance out their rarity with an easily understandable way of receiving them. While finding star fragments in Breath of the Wild were rare and took time to collect, the way to collect them was clear. Although collecting enough of them to make good use of them could be time-consuming, the fact that players could learn where the dragons spawned and track the locations of falling stars made the endeavor manageable. Any new materials that get introduced in Tears of the Kingdom would need similarly understandable methods of collection.
If the large file size of Tears of the Kingdom is any indication, it will certainly be bigger than Breath of the Wild, so it would be no surprise if the trailer did show the return of the falling stars. Since star fragments and dragon parts helped players get and upgrade some of the top-tier items in Breath of the Wild, their role as Hyrule's greatest resources is a reasonable one to bring back for an encore performance. If Tears of the Kingdom is going to be a bigger and better version of Breath of the Wild, it only makes sense for its rarest artifacts to appear as well.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases May 12 for Nintendo Switch.
